Control the Interview

by Fadhli

Go enter the room. Smile, say, “Good morning/afternoon/evening” then shake the interviewers’ hand one by one. Sit properly and relax. Don’t be over-acting. Let the interviewer start the discussion. Always remember to be humble in front of them, especially if they are expert in the relevant field that you are interviewed for.

Start to answer the question straight, do not play around with words that are too artificial just to make them impressed, they won’t. They need simple and easy-understood answers. But also don’t be too short like we are lazy to answer. We can add a concrete example to each of explanation point. Always be sympathic, express your face well, and please keep eye-contact.

Then, prepare point(s) that you are really good at that to make the interviewer interested. Then they will ask more and deeper while you are already prepared on that. You also can look after their interest from their face expression. If they look happy listening a point, take the chance to elaborate more on that. For some next questions they will also probe you on that thing.

If the conversation becomes more fluid, you can throw just a little joke to make them laugh, but always remember don’t be over-acting and keep behaving. Example, when we are asked about the carrier path, interviewers ask, “So when you will get married??” This the chance to throw a joke, “Hhe, so do you have son/daughter for me, Mister?” Or in the scholarship interview if they say, “Do you really want to be lecturer? My faculty needs actually” So we reply, “OK then we finish this interview, Sir?” Haha. Laugh might be a sign that they are quite happy. But, if there is an interviewer who keep serious, just be calm and back to the point soon.

Lastly, do not be shy or afraid to state your apologize if there was any mistake in answering the questions. Keep be kind, do not just lose their impression to you in order to get them into your point, although you are right. There are many wise ways to imply that you are right.